Doritos Inventor to Have ‘Cheesy’ Funeral Service

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Pour out some powdered nacho cheesy chips for the man.Photo: Courtesy of Frito-Lay

Arch West, a WWII veteran and former Frito-Lay executive credited with inventing Doritos for the company in the sixties, died last week in Dallas at the age of 97. As a marketing executive for the company, West developed the idea for the powdered-cheese-dusted chips after encountering a roadside shack selling fried tortillas. According to reports, his initial boardroom presentation initially failed to stun the executives, but a retooled concept for the snack led to a 1964 launch and the advent of one of Frito-Lay’s best-selling brands of all-time (not to mention inspiration for many a young chef). You can take an elegiac trip down nacho cheese lane with theseoldcommercials; in the meantime, Arch’s daughter told the Associated Press that the family will be “tossing Doritos chips in before they put the dirt over the urn” at the close of the funeral on Saturday. [CBS, Earlier]